# Who are so few Americans named Ian, Nigel or Simon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 16, 2007, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915 "2007-10-16T16:26:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/1 "2007-10-16T16:26:18Z")
Yes, I know that because this is Doperland where up is down and the sky is green, most of you American will check in and tell stories about your brothers, cousins and friends who have distinctly British first names such as Ian, Nigel and Simon, and claim that they really aren’t all that unusual in the United States. Bullshit. Admit it: most of the people you’ve met in the US who are named Ian, Nigel and Simon are either British tourists, British ex-pats, or the children of tweed-wearing, Jag-uh-yoo-wire driving, digestive biscuit craving Anglophiles. I’m wondering with the US being a former British colony, and the dominance of Anglo-Saxon names as given names, why are the names Nigel, Ian and Simon so rare in the US, but so common in the UK? That is, outside of Doperland, where American dopers name their kids “Ian Nigel (some last name)”, use SUVs only to haul horse trailers up and down mountains, and never, ever use cell phones in public. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/2 "2007-10-16T16:34:23Z")
:shrug: I’ve known a bunch of Ians. No Nigels or Simons. One Colin. Nigel and Colin are the ones that, IMHO, are _really_ British. More Nigel than Colin, thanks to a few semi-famous American Colins (sports radio host Colin Cowherd and comedian/ex-SNLer Colin Quinn). ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/3 "2007-10-16T16:41:19Z")
I know a coupla Colins. I know that I’ve met fellow americans named Ian and Simon, but I don’t have any friends with those names. I think Nigel just suffers from old person syndrome. You won’t find many people named Nigel for the same reason you won’t find people named Muriel. The name is associated with the elderly and it might be a decade or so before it will come back in vogue. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/4 "2007-10-16T16:44:10Z")
We’ve found people that don’t even know how to pronounce “Ian”. Darn good thing we didn’t go with one of the weirder spellings. Looks like it’s in the top 100 baby names according to the SSA and has been for some time - [Popular Baby Names](http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/) Nigel? Why would anyone name their child “Nigel” unless they hummed “God Save the Queen” during conception? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/5 "2007-10-16T16:46:51Z")
[QUOTE=Bobotheoptimist] Nigel? Why would anyone name their child “Nigel” unless they hummed “God Save the Queen” during conception? [/QUOTE] Well … fashions in names don’t follow logic. Why is Nigel relatively common in the UK? ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@Mike\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Fun)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/6 "2007-10-16T16:47:38Z")
Because nobody wants their kid to receive daily playground beatings? Actually, “Ian” isn’t as rare as the other two in my experience. “Simon” and “Nigel” sound kind of twee to the American ear. Not as bad as “Percy,” but definitely a little fem. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/7 "2007-10-16T16:50:27Z")
In the US, Ian and Colin are unusual, but not rare. Colin might start to rise with popular actors with the name. Nigel to me sounds exceedingly British, so I’d expect it to remain unpopular here. Wikipedia says it became popular in Britain in the 1960s and 70s, quite a few years after the American Revolution. 2006 Popularity: Ian: 81st Colin 111th Simon: 246th Nigel: 709th 2006 Top Boys names: 1 Jacob 2 Michael 3 Joshua 4 Ethan 5 Matthew 6 Daniel 7 Christopher 8 Andrew 9 Anthony 10 William [cite: ssa.gov](http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/) ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/8 "2007-10-16T17:01:59Z")
[QUOTE=Mike Fun] Because nobody wants their kid to receive daily playground beatings? Actually, “Ian” isn’t as rare as the other two in my experience. “Simon” and “Nigel” sound kind of twee to the American ear. Not as bad as “Percy,” but definitely a little fem. [/QUOTE] I dunno. American children know a lot of classmates with really unusual names, these days. Lots of boys even have names that, in structure and custom, seem to be girls’ names. Shaquille, for example. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/9 "2007-10-16T17:02:41Z")
Because people named Nigel are poofters? ETA: Or what **Mike Fun** said. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/10 "2007-10-16T17:04:32Z")
[QUOTE=Bobotheoptimist] We’ve found people that don’t even know how to pronounce “Ian”. [/QUOTE] WTF? My son’s name. It has three letters and has been around forever. How can you mispronounce Ian? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/11 "2007-10-16T17:22:00Z")
[QUOTE=Leaffan] WTF? My son’s name. It has three letters and has been around forever. How can you mispronounce Ian? [/QUOTE] Remember the Seinfeld episode where the British guy insisted it was pronounced “Een”? ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/12 "2007-10-16T17:23:02Z")
The lack of Simons has always puzzled me (I have a vested interest), because it’s a perfectly good biblical name, and just look at the prevalence of those in the top 10 over the years. It’s not even a rubbish one like Judas. On the rise, though - up from 350ish to the mid 200s in the last decade. Peter is plummetting, though, as is Paul. You guys just aren’t sufficiently Papist, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/13 "2007-10-16T17:26:18Z")
I’ve known a couple of Ians, and my friend named his kid Ian. Nigel, I have to admit, isn’t common here. I don’t know why, but if you used it, it would sound a bit pretentious. But there are Simon’s around. I just don’t know any. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/14 "2007-10-16T17:28:36Z")
I think I remember reading somewhere that probably the most famous American Colin - General Powell, that is - only picked up the (to Brits) bizarre pronunciation “Coe-lin” when he was a nipper, in imitation of some WW2 air ace. Until then, all his family (who came from Jamaica) and mates called him “Coll-in”, in the approved style. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/15 "2007-10-16T17:31:00Z")
[QUOTE=Leaffan] WTF? My son’s name. It has three letters and has been around forever. How can you mispronounce Ian? [/QUOTE] My sons name as well. “Eye-an”, slowly and as if was written in hieroglyphics, is the most common. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/16 "2007-10-16T17:40:57Z")
I know an Iain, pronounce the same as Ian. He’s Scottish-Canadian, I think. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/17 "2007-10-16T17:42:33Z")
[QUOTE=elmwood] . . . with the US being a former British colony . . . [/QUOTE] The question is: Were these common British names pre-Revolution? If they’re more recent, they wouldn’t be a part of our British heritage. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/18 "2007-10-16T17:42:48Z")
I think most Simons in the US are named Peter. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/19 "2007-10-16T17:56:46Z")
[QUOTE=Bobotheoptimist] Nigel? Why would anyone name their child “Nigel” unless they hummed “God Save the Queen” during conception? [/QUOTE] The mom had closed her eyes and thought of England? ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/20 "2007-10-16T17:58:28Z")
Colin’s becoming more popular; you meet quite a few baby Colins these days. I think it used to carry a more ‘sissy’ connotation than it does now, as Colin Powell has toughened it up a bit. It used to be practically on a level with Clive. Nigel is just a really sissy-sounding, unpoetic name to Americans. I don’t get the relative unpopularity of Simon, though it’s on the rise, I think. It’s a good name. Ian’s a pretty good name, but I think people tend to think of it as a Euro-name. Like Pierre or Kim or Jan or Hans. Perfectly good name, just not an American name. Teenage girls like boys named Ian, though, it sounds like they might have an accent! Peter has lost popularity for obvious reasons, though I have known one kid named Peter. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915.md?page=2)